Portable light

ABSTRACT

A portable light which includes a light assembly mounted on a reel by means of a swivel mount, which reel is equipped with a suction cup to enable positioning of the light on the dash or other smooth surface of a motor vehicle. The swivel mount is designed to permit the light beam to be adjusted while the light is positioned on such a smooth surface by means of the suction cup. The light is capable of being moved into substantially any position by the user and the cord may be wound and unwound on the reel as desired. The light is particularly capable of being used for reading maps and effecting emergency repairs to a motor vehicle, and is adapted to be plugged into the cigarette lighter of the vehicle for such use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This invention relates to a new and improved light, and particularly, anew and improved portable light which can be used in motor vehicles forinterior illumination and emergency repair work. For example, the lightof this invention is equipped with a suction cup and reel arrangementwhereby the light can be affixed temporarily to substantially any smoothsurface such as an automobile fender, and the cord unwound from the reelto the degree necessary to plug the unwound cord into a vehiclecigarette lighter. The device can also be used to illuminate theinterior of a vehicle and is compact and easily stored when not in use.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Heretofore, various types of portable lights have been developed forvarious purposes in the prior art. Such a light is described in U.S.Pat. No. 2,275,299 to Robert H. Hummert, which patent discloses aportable spot lamp having a handle and a rubber suction cup forremovable attachment to a smooth surface such as the window of anautomobile. While the lamp disclosed by this patent is equipped with ahandle for easy manipulation, it provides no mechanism by which the cordcan be easily stored and unwound to facilitate use of the light at adistance from the power source. Furthermore, the light is so designed asto throw a wide beam when turned on, and would therefore be unsuitablefor use in an automobile or other vehicle for doing close work such asreading a map or the like, since it would produce a substantial glare.Yet another disadvantage of such a lens design, which permits a wide butrelatively short range beam, is the difficulty of locating objects at adistance from the vehicle in the dark, since the beam is not designed topenetrate the darkness to an effective degree. A still furthershortcoming of prior art portable lamps such as that illustrated in thepatent, is the inability of a user to manipulate the light after it isonce positioned by means of the suction cup in a particular location onan automobile or other smooth surface, without repositioning the suctioncup. Thus, in order to focus the beam to a precise position after thelamp is positioned on a desired surface, the suction cup must bede-activated, and the lamp removed and again repositioned.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedportable light equipped with a suction cup for positioning the light onsubstantially any smooth surface, and a reel for convenient winding andunwinding of the cord supplying power to the light.

Another object of this invention is to provide a portable light which isequipped with a beam concentrator and improved lens reflector whichserve to increase the beam distance, concentrate the light and to permitglare-free use of the light inside a vehicle for map reading and otherwork requiring interior illumination of the vehicle.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improvedportable light which can be plugged into the cigarette lighter of anautomobile or other vehicle, moved to various locations outside of thevehicle by unwinding the power cord from a reel attached to the light,positioned by means of a suction cup attached to the reel tosubstantially any smooth surface of the vehicle, and manipulated bymeans of a swivel attachment to multiple beam positions while mounted inthe same location on the vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a compact, lightweight,portable light equipped with a reel for storing the power cord, whichlight and cord can be easily and conveniently stored when not in use.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a portable lightequipped with a reel and suction cup and fitted with an improved beamconcentrator and lens reflector, the latter of which not only enablesthe light to be used for map reading, and the like, without glare, butalso provides an exceptionally intense beam at long distances from thelight.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

These and other objects of the invention are provided in a portablelight which includes the following elements.

1. A light assembly, including a front and rear cover, a switch, a beamconcentrator and a lens reflector;

2. A reel adapted to receive a supply of electric cord which providespower to the light, and carrying a swivel mount upon which the lightassembly is mounted; and

3. A suction sup mounted on the bottom portion of the reel and adaptedto secure the reel and light assembly to a selected smooth, uniformsurface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

The invention will be better understood in view of the followingdescription presented with reference to the accompanying drawing:

FIG. 1 of the drawing is a front elevation of the portable light of thisinvention;

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the light illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the light illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the beam concentrator illustrated inFIGS. 1-3;

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the beam concentrator illustrated in FIGS.1-4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the lens reflector mounted on the lensof the light of this invention; and

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the lens reflector and lens illustrated inFIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, the portable light of thisinvention, generally illustrated by reference numeral 1, is shown withforward cover 2 and rear cover 3 communicating by means of rear coverthreads 4, more particularly illustrated in FIG. 2. Forward coverreflector 5 is mounted in the interior of forward cover 2, while lens 6,carrying lens reflector 7 by means of lens reflector base 25, and beamconcentrator 8, are maintained in position by means of forward coverflange 24 when forward cover 2 is screwed onto rear cover threads 4. Asmore particularly illustrated in FIG. 4 of the drawing, beamconcentrator 8 is equipped with beam concentrator lip 23 which isadapted to engage forward cover flange 24 when forward cover 2 mateswith rear cover 3. Lens reflector 7 is adapted to mount on lens 6 and ispositioned with lens reflector concave surface 26 facing forward coverreflector 5 to reflect light from the bulb or filament (not illustrated)mounted in the rear of forward cover 2, back onto forward coverreflector 5, to concentrate the light beam. Rear cover 3 is mounted ontoswivel frame 10 by means of swivel frame pins 11, and the light mayaccordingly be tilted up and down as desired to focus the beam on aparticular area. Swivel frame 10 is attached to reel 13 by means ofswivel frame screws 12, and reel 13 is designed to carry a supply ofelectrical cord 19. Electrical cord 19 carries first plug wire 20 andsecond plut wire 21, which initially communicate with a resistor (notillustrated) located in resistor container 16, and ultimately, throughreel aperture 15 in reel 13, with a light bulb or filament and groundtap (not illustrated) located in rear cover 3. The resistor is designedto maintain a substantially equal voltage on the light bulb or filamentin the event of voltage surges to plug 18 from a racing engine, and maybe removed from resistor container 16 by removing resistor containerscrews 17.

Referring again to FIGS. 1-3 of the drawing, suction cup 22 is mountedon the bottom of reel 13 and is adapted to securely mount on any smoothsurface such as a fender or window of an automobile or other motorvehicle. Switch 9 operates to turn the light on and off, and, asillustrated, electrical cord 19 can be wound on and off of reel 13, asdesired. Reel slots 14 serve to retain electrical cord 19 in woundposition on reel 13.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 of the drawing, beam concentrator 8 isaffixed to forward cover 2 by means of beam concentrator lip 23 andforward cover flange 24, as heretofore described. Beam concentrator 8 isdesigned to perform two basic functions in the portable light of thisinvention. First of all, it serves as a "beam shield" to minimizescattering of light when the portable light is used for reading maps andin other functions requiring glare-free illumination of the interior ofa car or other vehicle. Thus, the beam concentrator prevents glare whenthe light source is placed close to an object or objects to beilluminated. The beam concentrator is also useful in "channelling", andtherefore intensifying, the beam when it is desired to focus the lightbeam on an object at a distance from the light source. Whereas the priorart lamps produce a beam which scatters the light, beam concentrator 8serves to minimize such scattering and permit sharp focus on distantobjects as well as glare-free focus on objects close to the lightsource. It has surprisingly been found that beam concentrator 8 need notproject beyond about one-fourth of an inch from lens 6, in order to beeffective. One skilled in the art would logically conclude that if atight beam concentration was desired, a long, tunneled beam concentratorwould be necessary; however, the beam concentrator of this invention hasproved very effective.

Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7 of the drawing, lens reflector 7 isillustrated, with lens reflector base 25 adapted to adhere to lens 6 bymeans of lens reflector base 25, as illustrated. Lens reflector concavesurface 26 is spherically dish-shaped in order to reflect maximum light,and is designed to reflect light received from the light source andreflect it back upon forward cover reflector 5. This results in anintensified beam of light, concentrated by the action of beamconcentrator 8, which effects superior illumination of objects at adistance from the light source.

It will be recognized that the portable light of this invention issusceptible of a variety of uses. The light can be used to goodadvantage as a "trouble light" for illuminating various work areas of anautomobile or other vehicle, including watercraft, in the event ofmechanical malfunction. For example, a primary use of the light can bemade to change tires at night. The light can be positioned at anappropriate point on the automobile fender, the cord unwound and pluggedinto the cigarette lighter by means of plug 18, and the light adjustedby means of the swivel mount to focus the beam precisely on the workarea. After completion of the work, the cord can be rewound on the reeland the light stored in a convenient place in the vehicle for futureuse.

Similarly, since the light is designed to minimize glare and facilitateillumination at close proximity to the light source, it can be used forsuch activities as reading maps at night, night fishing, and otheractivities requiring glare-free and long range illumination in the dark.

The beam concentration and superior lens reflecting embodiments of theinvention combine to result in an improved light which projects a beamhaving exceptionally good darkness penetration characteristics. Forexample, the light can be adapted for dry cell power and used as ahunting light with far superior beam focus on distant objects than priorart lights. Furthermore, in the event of an emergency, the light beamcan be seen at far greater distances than conventional lights ofcomparable size and powered by the same sources.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that use of the resistorin the light circuit of this invention is an improvement in the art.Such use insures that a substantially constant voltage will at all timesbe applied across the light bulb or filament, and this action promotesbulb life. Accordingly, use of the inventive portable light inautomobiles or other vehicles having a generator or alternator where theoutput voltage to the cigarette lighter is subject to fluctuationresults in no shorter bulb life than in lights used with constantvoltage sources.

Having described my invention with the particularity set forth above,what is claimed is:
 1. A portable light comprising:a. a light source; b.a cylindrically shaped forward cover carrying said light source in theinterior thereof and a cylindrically shaped rear cover mating with saidforward cover in threaded relationship; c. a forward cover reflectormounted in the interior of said forward cover; d. a flat, circular lensremovably carried by said forward cover; e. a cylindrically shaped beamconcentrator in cooperation with said lens and said forward cover; f. aconcavo-convex lens reflector mounted on said lens with the concavesurface of said reflector facing said light source, and adapted toreflect light from said light source back onto said forward coverreflector and intensify said light; g. a swivel frame carried by saidrear cover in pivoting relationship; h. an external, horizontallydisposed reel in cooperation with said swivel frame and adapted toreceive a supply of electric cord thereon in wound fashion; and i. asuction cup carried by said reel and adapted to removably adhere tosmooth, substantially uniform surface.
 2. The portable light of claim 1further comprising: a. a resistor in electrical cooperation with saidlight source a power source to provide an essentially constant voltageto said light source; andb. at least one slot in said reel adapted toreceive said electric cord whereby said electric cord can be preventedfrom unwinding from said reel.
 3. The portable light of claim 2 whereinsaid reel is fitted with an aperture to accommodate said electric cordand facilitate communication of one end of said electric cord from theinterior of said reel to said light source.
 4. The portable light ofclaim 3 further including switch means in cooperation with said lightsource for controlling power to and from said light source.